


midnight shift

by hylian_reptile



Series: RvB Fluff Week [6]
Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Established Relationship, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-31
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2019-04-16 11:08:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14163516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hylian_reptile/pseuds/hylian_reptile
Summary: Caboose gets a concussion. Grif and Simmons watch him to make sure he's okay through the night.





	midnight shift

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Prim_the_Amazing](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prim_the_Amazing/gifts).



With the frequency that Caboose gets into trouble, you’d think that Caboose would have concussions more often. Carolina reports that the one Caboose winds up with after they return from the Blues and Reds debacle is actually the first he’s received in three years. “Which means that he’s completely forgotten what needs to be done to recover,” she adds dryly.

 

Wash, who is always tagged first to deal with Caboose, is still in hospital for his throat, so it falls to Tucker next, and after Tucker, everyone else. They’ve got shifts to help him stay still, to keep him entertained but still in a dark room, pills to try and help him go back to sleep, various noisemakers when he doesn’t want to wake up every thirty minutes, and a shitload of protein snacks.

 

“At least we don’t have to worry about him overextending his brain,” Simmons says, and Grif smacks him, but it’s true: the challenge with a concussed Caboose simply getting him to sit still.

 

Which, of course, means that it’s a multi-man job. They sign up for the Caboosewatch in twos and threes. Grif winds up with Simmons because everyone thinks that now that they’re dating, they have to be attached at the hip at all times, even for the 12:00 AM-6:00 AM shift for babysitting Caboose. Grif complains about the shift sign-up endlessly to Tucker, because Tucker is the only one who’ll understand that the Caboosewatch just interrupted prime post-midnight boyfriend boning time. Tucker tells them that if they bone in Caboose’s room while Caboose is sleeping, he’s for real going to kick them out of the Reds and Blues, which is some strong words from the man who boned Grif’s sister in the public TV room.

 

So Grif and Simmons bring blankets, pillows, a set of headphones, a tablet to watch a whole shitload of _Chuck_ and finally, _finally_ make Simmons watch _Cloud Atlas_. Caboose mumbles in his sleep against the soundtrack of the movie. Simmons’s alarm to wake Caboose up goes off every hour, on the dot.

 

Grif gets to hold Simmons’s hand through most of it. It’s actually not a bad date, besides the fact that they’re both exhausted by two in the morning.

 

Grif winds up powering through most of Caboose’s snacks with his _other_ hand, which Simmons nags him about all the while Grif’s demolishing the string-cheese stick collection, as if there aren’t more in the fridge right outside. When the 4:30 AM alarm goes off, Grif shoves the cheese wrappers in a bag and heads out to refill the snack collection while Simmons tries to make Caboose wake up.

 

The base is quiet as Grif raids the kitchen, packs it into a plastic bag, and heads back. He can hear Simmons’s voice through the doorway, soft and even. Simmons doesn’t have a voice that Grif’s ever thought could be soothing, whatwith how screechy he usually is, but it is now.

 

“I’m in Red Base,” Caboose replies sleepily to whatever question Simmons asked, and yawns.

 

“No, there’s no Red or Blue bases anymore,” Simmons says.

 

“Oh! That’s right,” says Caboose. “I’m at the Everyone Base. The one on the moon with everyone and all my friends. See, I remember. I’m alright.”

 

“I’m just checking, Caboose.”

 

“When are we going to have to move away from the moon base again?”

 

Simmons doesn’t reply at first. Then: “I don’t know. Whenever we have to. You shouldn’t think about those things right now. Go back to sleep. You have to rest your head.”

 

“You just woke me up!”

 

“Yeah, to check that you’re okay. Because you’re concussed. But now you have to go back to sleep.”

 

Grif hovers at the opening of the doorway. It’s only the standard questioning to make sure Caboose’s brain hasn’t gotten even more fucked up than it already is, but he feels like he’s intruding. He didn’t even know there was anything to intrude on when it came to Simmons and Caboose. He pokes his head in, and there’s Simmons, sitting on the edge of the bed in the glow of the tablet, Caboose rubbing his eyes with the blankets half twisted around his waist.

 

“I remember being concussed from last time,” Caboose mumbles. “Church was there.”

 

Simmons doesn’t reply.

 

“He’s not anymore,” says Caboose. “I remember that too.”

 

“You can go back to sleep, you know,” Simmons says.

 

Caboose rubs at his nose and flops back down. From the snuffling noise, he’s buried half his nose in the pillow again, and Simmons pushes at him until Caboose won’t suffocate himself. “It’ll be fine if we have to move again,” Caboose says. “It’ll be like us on Scary Planet.”

 

Simmons snorts. In the watery tablet light, Grif sees Simmons’s hand push Caboose’s soft bangs out of his eyes. “Neither of us liked Scary Planet.”

 

“But we didn’t like it together. Hanging out with Simmons was fun.”

 

“Pretty sure this is more talking than you’re supposed to do,” Simmons says.

 

“Let’s bring Grif with us next time. You missed him.”

 

Grif swallows. Holds absolutely still.

 

“Tell you what,” says Simmons. “We can go somewhere together with Grif. Just _not_ to Scary Planet.”

 

“That sounds good,” says Caboose, sounding surprised by this development himself.

 

“But only if you go to sleep,” Simmons warns.

 

“Sleeping!”

 

Simmons snorts. Caboose wiggles under the covers, and Simmons lets him until he gets settled, and then Simmons straightens out the blankets and pulls it up to Caboose’s chin. Grif ducks away, and waits for the sounds of Simmons resettling himself to end, and then rattles the plastic bag to warn Simmons before he walks in. It works: Simmons, sitting on the floor with the tablet, is unsurprised when Grif walks in.

 

“Were you scarfing down food in secret again,” Simmons asks in a stage whisper. Behind him, Caboose makes another snuffling noise and rolls over in his sleep.

 

“You know it,” says Grif. Simmons rolls his eyes and lets Grif get settled on the pillow pile again before flicking the tablet back on.

 

“The arc ends in two episodes, so let’s finish those—” Simmons begins, and looks at Grif weirdly when Grif impulsively leans over and stamps a kiss on Simmons’s cheek. “What was that for?”

 

“Just felt like it,” Grif says, and presses the play button before Simmons can respond. Simmons gives him another odd look, but doesn’t push it. Grif winds his fingers through Simmons’s, pressing their hands together palm to palm.

 

“Don’t eat all Caboose’s snacks again,” Simmons warns.

 

“Okay, okay,” Grif sighs, and smiles when Simmons squeezes his hand.


End file.
